


Like to Get to Know You

by LuxKen27



Series: Sweet Valley Sophomores [5]
Category: Sweet Valley High - Francine Pascal
Genre: F/M, Pre-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-08
Updated: 2014-09-08
Packaged: 2018-02-16 15:20:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2274651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuxKen27/pseuds/LuxKen27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>“Remember the first time I saw you?” Tricia asked.</i> </p><p>
  <i>“I’ll never forget,” Steven replied.  “When I close my eyes, I can still see exactly the way you looked, splashing your feet in the ocean and trying to catch raindrops on your tongue.  While everyone else on the beach ran as fast as they could to get out of the rain, I joined you at the water’s edge…You looked so beautiful that day…”</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like to Get to Know You

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2014 Summer Mini Challenge prompt moment. Further author's notes can be found at my Dreamwidth.
> 
>  **DISCLAIMER** : The _Sweet Valley High_ concept, storyline, and characters are © 1983 – 2003 Francine Pascal/Bantam Books/Random House. No money is being made from the creation of this material. No copyright infringement is intended.

~*~

“Hey, man, are you coming or what?”

Steven Wakefield frowned, casting a long look over his shoulder. _She’s still out there_ , he mused, his heart beginning to beat a little faster. _Like she doesn’t even realize it’s raining_. Granted, the rain had come out of nowhere; the sun was still shining down on the Sweet Valley beach, even as grey clouds materialized over the horizon.

A hand clapped his shoulder, startling him from his reverie. “Steve,” his friend intoned, “you still with us?”

Steven cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah,” he replied, stooping to retrieve his towel and sunblock.

“Sucks, doesn’t it?” his friend sighed. “The waves were just starting to peak, and here comes a nasty thunderstorm.” He re-zipped his wetsuit, turning towards the boardwalk. “We’re all meeting up at the Snack Shack. See you there?”

“Uh, sure.” Steven barely heard him; he was looking back towards the shore, utterly captivated by the girl who lingered there. She wasn’t really dressed for a day at the beach – instead of a swimsuit, she was wearing a dress, light pink dotted with little blue flowers. Her strawberry blonde hair floated like a halo around her face, carried by the breeze blowing in off the ocean. She was splashing her feet in the water, lifting one toned leg slightly to let the water drip from her toes.

He knew she owned a swimsuit, because he’d seen her at the beach several times over the course of the summer, so he was curious as to why she wasn’t wearing it today. He’d been curious about her from the first moment he laid eyes on her, but he’d yet to find the courage to approach her. She was so beautiful, petite and trim, with pale, delicate features. As much as he wanted to, he was almost afraid to touch her, because she emanated such fragility. 

And yet, even now as the rain steadily poured down upon her, darkening her hair and molding her dress to her body, she was absolutely enchanting.

It wasn’t a conscious decision to reverse course, but he felt drawn to her, and a bit concerned that she was ignoring the blackening sky. He trudged through the sand towards her, closing the gap between them. He swallowed hard, his eyes sliding over the slim curves of her body, and he clutched his towel a bit tighter around his shoulders. 

“Hey,” he finally managed to choke out. 

She turned, lifting sky-blue eyes to meet his gaze. “Hello,” she returned, splashing the water around her ankles.

“Um, you know it’s raining, right?” he said, feeling a flush rise up the back of his neck as he stated the obvious. _What if she thinks I’m a dolt?_ he lamented to himself, watching her warily for her response.

She laughed, throwing her head back. “I know,” she replied, her tongue darting out to catch an errant drop. “I like the rain.”

He smiled, taking a step closer to her. “So do I,” he agreed. He looked out over the ocean. “It’s kinda peaceful, isn’t it?”

“Mmm,” she mused, pushing a drenched lock of hair behind her ear. “Especially when there’s no one else around.”

He felt himself flush again. “Oh,” he said softly. “I – I didn’t mean to bother you.” He abruptly clamped his mouth shut, chewing on his lips. _Okay, now_ I’m _starting to think I’m a dolt_ , he thought wryly. _Whatever happened to that patented Wakefield charm?_ He’d never felt so awkward around a girl before.

He took a step back, but she stilled him, her fingers brushing against his arm. “You’re not bothering me,” she assured him, and he noticed twin spots of pink blossoming in her cheeks. “Please, don’t leave.”

“Okay,” he murmured, his gaze turning appreciative as it settled on her. She was even more striking up close, her beautiful eyes complemented by a button nose and bow-shaped lips. Her peaches and cream complexion continued to darken as they stood together, and finally, she averted her eyes.

“I never thought this would happen,” she said suddenly, digging her toes into the sand beneath the shallow waves.

He furrowed his brow. “What?” he asked curiously.

Her expression turned adorably sheepish. “I never thought Steven Wakefield would talk to _me_ of his own free will,” she revealed shyly.

Surprise rippled through him. “You know me?” he sputtered. His eyes swept over her once more, but his mind continued to draw a blank. “Do I know you?”

She blushed. “Probably not,” she replied. “I tend to blend into the woodwork most of the time.” She chanced to glance at him again. “But I go to Sweet Valley High, and you were one of the most popular kids in school. Heck, you probably still are, even though you’ve graduated.”

He stared at her, his curiosity mounting with each passing second. He’d made it his business to know who all of the cute girls at SVH were, so how had he managed to miss this one? 

Nevertheless, her obvious admiration of him made his nervousness dissipate. “It hardly seems fair, you know,” he teased with a lopsided smile, “to know so much about me when I know nothing about you. What’s your name?”

Her features melted into a smile, revealing a row of perfect teeth. “Tricia,” she replied. “Tricia Martin.”

“Tricia,” he repeated thoughtfully, letting her name roll off his tongue. “And you go to Sweet Valley High?”

She nodded. “I’ll be a senior next year.” Her smile faded as she turned away, tugging one of her sleeves up over her shoulder.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” he mused, watching her movements carefully. “Believe me, senior year is the best!”

She shrugged. “Maybe for you, it was,” she said softly, still gazing out over the sea. The waves were cresting higher now, chopping down into the ocean and rushing towards the shore. “But not for me.”

He frowned. “Oh, come on, what’re you talking about?” he cajoled, tugging her into the relatively dry sand a couple of feet away. He pushed his free hand through his hair, slicking it back from his forehead.

Her gaze was assessing when she turned to him. “You have no idea who I am, do you?” she mused.

“Well, no,” he admitted with a half-shrug, “but I’d like to.” Thunder rumbled in the distance, and he looked up, realizing that the storm gathering off the horizon was heading towards them. Her dress was plastered to her skin and had become translucent, revealing just how pale and thin she was. 

He swept his beach towel from his shoulders and wrapped it around her when she started to shiver. “Let’s head back, okay?” he suggested, resisting the urge to draw her into his arms.

She nodded, folding the ends of the towel around herself, and fell into step beside him as they headed for the boardwalk. They walked in companionable silence as the rain began to fall faster, but didn’t quite make it to their destination before the bottom fell out.

Steven quickly ducked under a nearby pier, pulling her to relative safety beside him. They looked at each other and burst into laughter as the wind blew the rain horizontally towards them.

Tricia hugged her arms around herself. “So much for that idea,” she chuckled, squeezing one end of the thoroughly soaked towel still around her shoulders. “Sorry about this.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied with a dismissive wave. “In spite of what our parents say, I don’t think we’re going to catch our death out here.”

Her cheerful expression withered away, and his curiosity spiked once more. The sight of tragedy touching her features upset him far more than it should have, considering he didn’t know a thing about her.

“So…” he trailed off, unsure of how to broach the subject. “What were you doing out there in the rain, anyway? You don’t exactly look like you’re dressed for a day of fun in the sun,” he added, gesturing to her clothes.

She turned away, giving him her back. “It’s – well, it’s a sad day for me,” she confessed. “Seven years ago, my mother died.”

Steven swallowed hard. “I’m sorry,” he replied automatically. “Um…you must miss her.”

She nodded, her shoulders relaxing. “I do,” she breathed, sadness rising in her voice. “One of our favorite things was to come to the beach and splash around in the ocean.” She bowed her head. “I still like to do that, especially today. It makes me feel closer to her.”

He couldn’t resist reaching out for her now – he took a step closer to her, his hands closing around her shoulders. Warmth instantly curled through him, spiraling down into his abdomen as he gave her a gentle squeeze.

She sniffled, turning to face him, a rueful smile playing on her lips. “Well, I guess you can’t say you know nothing about me now,” she remarked, trying to keep the sentiment light, but utterly failing.

He shook his head. “No, I guess I can’t,” he returned, “but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to know more.”

She furrowed her brow. “What?” she murmured, confusion ripe in her tone.

He smiled, lifting one hand to touch her face. “I want to know you, Tricia Martin,” he said. “Would you go out with me tomorrow night?”

He wasn’t expecting her reaction – tears pooled in her eyes and she chewed on her lip, taking an uncomfortably long time to contemplate his offer. All of that self-conscious awkwardness rushed back to him, but before he could break away from her in total humiliation, she spoke again.

“Yes,” she finally replied, the affirmation so soft that he almost missed it. Her eyes found his, shining with equal parts surprise and pleasure. “Yes, I will.” She blushed, tentatively touching his hand, still cupped around her cheek. “I’d like to get to know you, too, Steven Wakefield.”


End file.
